zoo lights

We went to Zoo lights last night at the Portland Zoo and it was amazing. The place was packed and we had to gently push our way through crowds but there were lights everywhere. It was a magical scene and Finn was soaking it up. He was running and skipping around he was so excited and when we saw the train all lit up his joy bubbled out into a spinning little dance. The train had a line half way around the park so we decided to hold off on that trip until next time we come and with out membership that will be sooner then later. Finn decided that his cousin Jake would love this but Milo and Toby might be too little. He thought about it a bunch, how much those guys would like this and what part would be the best for them. He said we would need a bigger stroller to bring the babies in, maybe two strollers. It was really great for me to see the lights but even better to see how much Finn loved them.

like a red headed...

Finn is at Grandma and Papa's house this weekend. He got picked up by Papa in the truck and he couldn't get out of the house fast enough. He told me "Have a good night daddy, and don't bring Henry." Finn is older, more mobile, and a lot of fun to be around and so he gets the one on one with people that Henry doesn't get. Henry gets it with us when Finn is gone but when Finn was as young as 9 months he was staying over with Grammie and Tom Tom. He was the only one so by default he was the favorite and now he is older and easier to relate to so he's the favorite. I get it, I really do, but I think people are missing out on a pretty funny and great time with the red head. He's harder to make laugh, and at times your not sure where you stand with him but he snuggles the best and there is nothing funnier then watching him read little red riding hood: " Oh uh nah ab wooof wooof wooof ahg gah un wooof!" So while Finn is off with friends and family Henry is home with us and we can't help but feel like people don't know what they are missing. We aren't complaining though, we know how great the red head is, even if others haven't seen it yet.

seriously go look at his pictures

captured

Please go to Mark's Flickr page and see his pictures from his trip here with Kendra. The dude can take a photo.

Haircuts

The Blond one got a haircut

Finn got his haircut yesterday and he went from emo punk kid to boy next door. The difference in his look and demeanor is noticeable. With his long bangs he would get this defiant look that was brooding and frankly a little irritating. We didn't really fully notice it until it was gone with bangs that highlighted it. Now with his short hair he just doesn't have the same weight behind his pouts. I really liked his moppy hair but I like this attitude better.

Other's stuff

There are other people writing and being creative:

Mark Wrote this, thanks Mark!

Kate wrote this, poor Kate.

Mark took these, nice pictures.

These kids are great

PBJ face

Henry likes to dunk under

Scott got a water proof housing for his digital camera so Sunday afternoon we took turns trying to drown our kids for good shots. I think Kate blocking her nose with her upper lip is the funniest thing but these pictures of the boys underwater are pretty cool. Henry is cool with dunking under but Finn is not much of a fan. We are trying to get him used to the water and teaching him to kick and not panic and it is working a bit. He knows that he is going to dunk under at least once each swim time though he tries to negotiate out of it. "Maybe go for a dip and not dunk under?" Henry gets really excited in the water and kicks like crazy. He loves floating around in the lady bug float and smacking the water on his sides. Henry also seems to know to close his mouth under water while Finn isn't grasping that yet. Sunday was a lot of fun by the pool, grilling steaks for lunch and chicken and fish for dinner and seeing what video of the kids underwater looks like.

This is pretty much how she feels about him

We like Hawaii a lot!

Missing the lady bug man

I am back in Portland for some training at work. I flew in early Monday morning and will be here until next Sunday leaving Kate to face the boys alone. If you haven't read how that is going please click here and read away, she is a much better writer and her story is much more interesting then mine right now. It is nice to sleep through the whole night, talk with adults, and need a blanket at night because it has cooled down but I would rather be there with her and then boys. Right when I got into training I put this picture up on my screen. I can't look at it and not smile, his look is perfect. That picture, skype, and a number of phone calls throughout the day help me pass the time until I get back on the island with them while also trying to enjoy my time here.

Wheels up on Friday

We have white walls and mostly empty rooms again. The cycle of apartment life is completing and with most of our stuff neatly divided between parents and friends we are left with a couple of suitcases, a baby cage, and a blow up mattress. Henry is sleeping on the changing table pad and a couple of blankets and Finn’s time-out chair is a 5 gallon bucket of plain white paint. 4 more days until we take off and the excitement is definitely building. This weekend we got to say, not goodbye but “See ya later” to a number of people and with each telling and re-telling of the coming months we are getting more excited. “This time next week” is the start to many of sentences and the end usually has us on the beach with a cocktail in hand. It really is an appealing picture if you think about it.

We have found that when we tell people about our plans they react in one of two ways: “What and adventure for you” or “What an act of service”. I wonder what it says about those people that fall into the different categories. Both are true and the real yin and yang of the situation. We have this amazing adventure ahead of us, living in Hawaii, looking after three boys under the age of 3, waking up in paradise to work at 5 in the morning, and exploring a beautiful place through the eyes of a toddler. I think we are getting as much, if not more then we are putting in and though the circumstances are terrible, the opportunity is once in a lifetime for our family.

A couple of great things

• These photos are fantastic.

• Oddly entertaining video of a baby laughing slowed down.

• Who had the day after the last game in the "When will the Lamar Odom Trade rumors start again" poll?

• A good article on how the internet is not necessarily making us smarter.
  

Just your standard Family of four